Otomi human rights defender Estela Hernández Jiménez was released on the night of Tuesday, June 4, after being detained by members of the Querétaro State Police (POES) while documenting the arrest of four residents of the community of Santiago Mexquititlán.
According to testimonies shared on social media and told by Hernández Jiménez herself, the activist was the victim of physical and sexual assault.
In light of these events, the Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Center (Centro Prodh) expressed its concern from the first hours after the arrest became known, highlighting Estela’s work as a renowned indigenous rights defender and daughter of Jacinta Francisco Marcial, an Otomi woman unjustly imprisoned in 2006, a case for which the Mexican government publicly apologized.
Estela Hernández, a member of the National Indigenous Congress, was detained by state police while documenting arrests in her community; she reported beatings, sexual assault, and humiliation.
She was documenting arrests when she was intercepted
Journalist Nadia Bernal reported on her X account (formerly Twitter) that Estela Hernández was conducting documentation work after the allegedly arbitrary arrest of four members of the Ñhañhú community.
Videos shared on social media show Estela handcuffed and guarded by police. In another video, she tells her family that she was beaten, dragged by the hair, and kicked in various parts of her body by officers who criticized her for her work as an activist.
“I was documenting what was happening, why they were bringing people in… From there they detained me, brought in all the police, and they sat me down on a chair, violently throwing me down, kicking me in the feet and in my private parts, and pulling my hair,” Hernández can be heard saying.
Her sister, Sara Hernández, a member of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), stated that the defender was sexually assaulted by state agents during her arrest.
These statements have generated a wave of condemnation from groups such as the National Assembly for Water and Life and the Autonomous Council of Santiago Mexquititlán, which has denounced for more than five years what they describe as systematic violence against the Otomi community in the region.
Release after social pressure
According to statements released by local organizations, social pressure, complaints on social media, and the mobilization of groups in defense of the territory and human rights were decisive in the release of Estela and the three other detainees around 10:40 p.m.
“The comrades who were illegally detained and deprived of their liberty by the Querétaro State Police (POES) were released due to pressure from individuals, organizations, and collectives,” reported the Autonomous Council of Santiago Mexquititlán.
The call for a protest rally was issued for Wednesday, June 5, at 9:30 a.m. in the Alameda de Querétaro neighborhood. The rally aims to demand justice, the immediate withdrawal of the Army from the area, and an end to the harassment of Indigenous communities.
Who is Estela Hernández Jiménez?
Estela Hernández Jiménez is an environmental defender, teacher, and cultural promoter. She has worked to protect water and Otomi territory and participated in the publication of the book “The Otomi of Santiago Mexquititlán: A Guide to Learning and Teaching Otomi,” sponsored by the Autonomous University of Querétaro.
She is currently a member of the National Indigenous Congress (CNI) and the Autonomous Council of Santiago Mexquititlán, where she has denounced attempts to dispossess the Hñöhñö Ceremonial Center and publicly opposed former President Enrique Peña Nieto’s education reform.
Organizations have reiterated their demand for an independent investigation into the events and the punishment of those responsible, pointing out that the criminalization of human rights defenders puts the lives of those exercising their legitimate right to protest and document violations at risk.
“Resistance comes from different spaces, and we women have put our bodies, souls, and spirits to work in defense of water, life, and territory,” Estela Hernández has stated in various forums.
Source: infobae
